Shares were mostly higher Wednesday in Asia, AP reported. Japan's Nikkei 225 index slipped 0.6 percent to 20,442.75 while South Korea's Kospi added 0.4 percent to 2,106.10. Hong Kong's Hang Seng edged 0.1 percent higher to 26,867.11. Australia's S&P ASX 200 rose 0.4 percent to 5,835.20. The Shanghai Composite index was flat at 2,569.75. Shares rose in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Benchmark U.S. crude oil was 5 cents higher at $52.16 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract added $1.60 to settle at $52.11 per barrel on Tuesday. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 11 cents to $60.75. It gained $1.65 to $60.64 a barrel in London. The dollar slipped to 108.51 yen from 108.69 late Tuesday. The euro eased to $1.1398 from $1.1413. The British pound weakened to $1.2844 from $1.2859.
